Referencing my post #6287, thank you for your reply. In 1994 invested the max ($2500) in an IRA that lost most of my gains over the years, but I have some capital gains from a house sale of about $50000. Invested in stocks, lost about a third of that last year. Indeed, my SS is $423/mo....... a self-employed individual is totally screwed when it comes to retirement. Doesn't look very good, does it?